


halloween

by postalcoast



Category: Red Dead Redemption (Video Games)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Halloween, M/M, Welcome to Dutch's tacky halloween parties!!, mentions of the scooby doo franchise
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-26
Updated: 2020-10-26
Packaged: 2021-03-08 21:33:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,839
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27203212
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/postalcoast/pseuds/postalcoast
Summary: yeah this is gonna be a two-parter & yes the other part is gonna be a no-nut november fic adfkjsdfdkf i am sorry
Relationships: John Marston/Arthur Morgan
Comments: 4
Kudos: 22





	halloween

As Summer comes to an end and September brings in the Autumn season, it also brings in a cluster of Spirit Halloweens opening up around the area. 

The one closest to Arthur and John’s apartment springs up in an old Toys R Us building, right along the highway they take for their daily commute home. John notices it almost immediately, Arthur expected no different.

It’s not long before John’s dragging him in, a couple of weeks into the month of September, in search of costumes and decor for the apartment. They have plenty of Halloween decor accumulated over the past couple of years in storage, which John and Arthur still have to go through and put out in the apartment.

He always finds something new to add to the collection, each and every year.

***

An absolute whirlwind of loud animatronics, tacky inflatables, and plastic decorations is how Arthur would describe Spirit Halloween, if he were so inclined to do so. It’s the same every year. 

Still, he takes his time looking around with John, trailing along behind as John interacts with every animatronic, picks up nearly every decoration, or examines every mask. It’s cute. John’s cute. Incredibly so, for his own good. Or perhaps for Arthur’s own good.

“Thought we were going as Shaggy and Fred this year,” Arthur says as John stops at the Halloween costumes, picking up a few and looking at them. 

“We are,” John puts the costumes back up, and moves along. “Just thinkin’ about next year, is all. Could be _zombies_.”

“Or _clowns_ ,” Arthur teases, noticing the way John won’t even glance over as they pass the clown-themed costumes. 

“You already are one,” John throws over his shoulder before adding a “just kidding,” to smooth over the insult.

“So am I.”

“Besides,” John says as they round the corner into another aisle of costumes. “I’m sure someone at Dutch’s party will be dressed up as one, since everyone thinks it’s goddamn hilarious that they creep me out.”

Arthur’s sure of this, too. It’s been something of a running gag at Dutch’s Halloween parties for one of the members of the gang to be dressed up as a clown to scare John. It’s almost always Sean or one of the Callander brothers.

Somehow, Jack has inherited his father’s apprehensiveness to clowns, and last year, Mac frightened Jack so bad he started crying. And well, he got his ass kicked for that one. By Abigail, Arthur, _and_ John.

***

When they finally leave the place, Arthur’s carrying out a couple of bags full of new Halloween decorations for the apartment and John’s toting out another life-sized skeleton. 

He has at least three already. All charmingly named Boner.

John loads Boner #4 in the backseat of Arthur’s truck, takes the bags from Arthur and loads them up, too, and thankfully, they’re on their way.

***

It’s like an early Christmas when they decorate the apartment for Halloween.

John’s got some Halloween playlist going on Spotify at full-blast as they bring out the three plastic totes full of decorations, all labeled “HALLOWEEN” in John’s handwriting.

A centerpiece on their coffee table which John leaves Arthur in charge of. They debate for probably a good ten minutes on how much cobwebs and fake spiders to add, but eventually they settle on an agreement. Candles and candleholders, a plastic skull, a runner, what have you.

Then, Arthur moves on to the TV stand, which he adds some of the cobwebs to and a string of lights, along with another skull and another candle holder.

John’s already finished with the end tables, complete with some pumpkins, a couple of Halloween-themed candles they bought at a yard sale that they’ve never lit, and some fake books that Arthur actually picked out himself from Michaels last year.

Then, they move onto a shelf above the TV, then the bookcase in their living room, then the wall above the couch, then the dining table which is where John sticks Boner #4. Boner #3 takes his rightful place on the edge of the couch.

When they’re finished, John immediately video calls Hosea, Sean, and Abigail to show them the finished product. Arthur can’t help but roll his eyes when John gets to the dining table and he hears Sean ask over the phone, “New skeleton? His name Boner?” 

“Yeah.”

“Classic.”

***

As far as their costumes go, instead of spending at least forty bucks on cheap sets, John and Arthur more or less put together their costumes out of clothes they already have or found at Target or Walmart. 

It was easy enough for John to find a green shirt and borrow a pair of brown corduroy pants from Hosea. Arthur already had a bulky white sweater and a collared blue shirt and jeans, and finding an orange handkerchief wasn’t too big of a task. 

They pretty much had their costumes together in one day. John bought a toddlers sized one-piece Scooby costume for Jack. Abigail would be going as Velma, and Sadie as Daphne. 

Sean, after several jokes about being the Ghost Clown, settles on being the Miner Forty-Niner (or the Miner Sixty-Niner). 

***

Dutch being Dutch, he always has his and Hosea’s house decorated like something out of a movie for any holiday occasion. Halloween is no different. 

This year he even sent out party invitations. Overpriced online print-offs announcing Dutch and Hosea’s Halloween party theme to be “Here for the Boos”. He even bothered to mail them out, texting Arthur and asking for his and John’s address. They see Dutch at least three times or more a week, but somehow this was the most necessary option.

The ride to Dutch’s provides another one of John’s already prepared Halloween playlists of Misfits and Crazy Lixx, and he’s already trying to fit the word “zoinks” into every sentence. 

Arthur’s already had nearly enough of this night and it hasn’t even started.

You could probably spot Dutch and Hosea’s house from a mile away given all the lights and inflatables strewn about. He’s even got a couple of fog machines hooked up, and none of the decorations really go together. Hosea always gets his say when it comes to including his Charlie Brown Great Pumpkin decor that he’s had for over two decades in the clashing disaster that is the decor that Dutch deemed suitable for the occasion.

Arthur parks his truck out on the street in front of Dutch and Hosea’s, seeing as what half of the gang that’s already here have claimed the driveway.

Before Arthur and John can even get halfway up the walkway leading up to the front door, Jack’s already running out towards them, fully dressed up in his Scooby-Doo costume. 

John automatically scoops him up, Jack still chattering on a bit excitedly - excited to see the both of them, excited to see his pa, excited about his costume, excited about going trick or treating. 

Arthur glances over to Abigail, fully dressed in her orange turtleneck, red skirt, and big-framed glasses, standing on the front porch watching the three of them with this fond smile on her face that Arthur is undoubtedly mirroring. Nobody in the world probably loves John and Jack Marston more than Abigail and Arthur. 

“You give him candy already?” Arthur jokes, noticing the way Jack’s practically a giggling chattering mess right now in his father’s arms. “He’s awful hyper.”

“Dutch did,” She admits. “He’s already had dinner, and well, it’s Halloween so I told him a little wouldn’t hurt.” 

***

While there’s still a bit of daylight left in the day, Arthur, John, Abigail, and Sadie all take off into the neighborhood around Dutch’s to go trick or treating with Jack. 

Jack walks between the two pairs, both Abigail and John holding onto either of his hands, and Arthur has the liberty of carrying Jack’s little pumpkin pail. It started off in John’s care, but Arthur knowing that probably wasn’t a good idea, took over from there.

After they hit up a few houses, Jack’s earned himself a pretty good pile of treats, and the sun’s not fully setting yet, so they head back to Dutch’s to grab Arthur’s truck so the five of them can head to some more neighborhoods to try their luck.

Well, the six of them, after Sean insists that he come along seeing as he also took part in the costume idea. 

Another line of houses, most of them decorated in strung up lights that loop around the columns and along the edge of the roofs. All hues of oranges and purples, and the air is filled with the sound of delighted screams. 

Arthur never really enjoyed Halloween, never really bothered to dress up in any sort of costume, but now here he is. Dressed up, dressing up his apartment in the same manner. He has John to thank for that. 

He has John to thank for many things.

Glancing over at John now, with Jack clinging onto his back as John piggybacks him around the neighborhood, both of them giggling, Arthur feels as if maybe he’s falling in love with John all over again.

He’s felt that way many times throughout the course of their relationship. This time is only another to add to the list.

Sean breaks the moment, taking advantage of Arthur’s distracted state to reach forward and try and snag a piece of candy from Jack’s pail, almost succeeding until Arthur swats his hand away.

***

They make it back to Dutch’s before it gets too late, but Dutch being the epitome of impatience that he is, starts the party without them. 

A whirlwind of Party City decorations and classic Halloween or horror-themed affiliated songs, several platters of mummified pigs in a blanket, eyeball deviled eggs, witches’ brooms and hats made from Reese's Cups and Hershey's Kisses.

The party is one big Pinterest dream, as always.

After last year’s events, it seems the tradition of someone taking on the duty of dressing up as a clown to scare John has died off, to which both Arthur and John are grateful for.

“You know what tomorrow is, don’t you?” John asks him when they’re watching the Callander brothers make their best attempt at karaoke. 

Arthur used to like Blue Öyster Cult, but after this, he isn’t so sure.

“Uh, November first?” Arthur glances over at John, who’s looking at him like he’s waiting on Arthur to elaborate - or connect the dots, one. 

And then he does.

Another yearly tradition coming to the forefront of his mind like a smack in the face.

“We doin’ _that_ again this year?” 

“Don’t we always?” John quips.

“We _try_ ,” Arthur reminds him. “Or _you_ do, rather.”

“Yeah, we’ll see,” John’s already a prime example of smug competitiveness that Arthur’s seen him attempt one too many Novembers. Nothing more than a facade, or maybe a strong start that always seems to break at least a week into the month. 

  
_Yeah, we’ll see, alright,_ Arthur thinks but doesn’t say, as he’ll have plenty of time tomorrow to place any bets.

**Author's Note:**

> yeah this is gonna be a two-parter & yes the other part is gonna be a no-nut november fic adfkjsdfdkf i am sorry


End file.
